Legacy
by TheChronicler137
Summary: How will you be remembered after you die? What will your legacy be?
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction

**A/N Inspired by Flash games Stratosfear and Terra Coda, both made for the Ludum Dare competition. Collection of oneshots. Enjoy.**

**I don't own Alpha and Omega. Everything here is in the public domain.**

Legacy is the story of a wolf/man named Humphrey, in the near future, on colony Jasper in sector Canada. It is the story of the most pivotal moments of his life: be they his last, or be they the moments which immortalise him as a hero, a villain, or a statistic.

Explore the different ways the Jasper Crisis ended, and the different legacies that Humphrey gets for his actions during the Crisis.

Humphrey is a theoretical physicist working in Jasper colony of the United Earth Republic, with his wife Kate, and kids Kayla, Dean and Samantha. However, one day, saboteurs sabotage the life support systems, cutting power to them. The life support controls are isolated; without the system activated, anyone who approaches it dies.

However, there is a solution: a mass-energy converter linked to the power grid running the life support systems. However, the required mass-energy impulse to restart the system long enough for technicians to get to the life support systems and restart them is 6.4710 x 1025 ergs, 6.4710 x 10 joules, 4.7728 x 10 foot-pounds, 1.5466 x 106 kilotons of TNT, 1546.6 megatons of TNT, or…_72 kg of matter_.

The mass of a person.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned

**A/N Be warned that since I am exploring multiple possibilities, the stories can get a little repetitive. But the legacies at the end are always different. **

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing and swung his legs over it.

_My last moments. Better say something meaningful._

_ Time to make peace with my maker._

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned!" he cried, as he was engulfed by the yellow light, and every atom in his body was converted to pure energy.

"NO!" Kate screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Humphrey!" John gasped.

"Humphrey!" Garth shouted.

Kate fell to her knees, sobbing.

5 seconds left.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Kate, who hugged the reactor and cried.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

3 seconds left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

John turned to Kate.

"He did good. He went to a better place, Kate. He made peace with his maker. And he saved us all," John comforted her.

"B-but he's gone…"

"He died to save us all. He will not be forgotten."

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia:

Death & Legacy

_Main article: Jasper Crisis_

…Humphrey famously died in the Jasper Crisis. He threw himself into the mass-energy convertor, providing enough mass-energy to reactivate the life support systems long enough for technicians to restore permanent power to the life support systems…

…The Humphrey Chapel was built on Jasper to commemorate the Crisis, and was named in honour of Humphrey, who gave his life to resolve the Crisis.

Personality

…Humphrey was remembered by friends and family as a funny man… But he is most remembered in the eyes of the public for being a religious man, given by his famous last words: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."…

Wikiquote: Last Words

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned."

_3 years later_

"Grandma! Where are we going?" Kate's grandson, Steven, asked her.

"To see your Grandpa."

They walked quietly into the solemn chapel that was erected in honour of Humphrey.

They came to a statue of him.

Steven read it out aloud.

"This Chapel was built in honour of Humphrey, God's humble servant, who, in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ, gave his life such that many may be saved."

"What does that mean, Grandma?"

Kate smiled sadly. Her eyes were damp.

"Your Grandpa did good, Steven. He died a hero. He saved us all, you know. He saved me, Grandpa John, Grandma Sophie, your Mum and Dad, Uncle Dean, Uncle Samantha, Uncle Lionel, Aunt Holly, Aunt Angeline, Grandaunt Lily, Granduncle Garth, Aunt Daisy, Uncle Chris, Uncle Rex, and thousands more people you don't know. And he was not forgotten."

**A/N And that's it! More to come. But I'd like to hear any suggestions for other ways the Crisis could have been resolved.**

** And, as always, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing and swung his legs over it.

_My last moments. Better say something meaningful._

_Screw something meaningful. Time for one last crack._

"Hey guys, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel!" he yelled, as he was engulfed by the yellow light, and every atom in his body was converted to pure energy.

"NO!" Kate screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Humphrey!" John gasped.

"Humphrey!" Garth shouted.

Kate fell to her knees, sobbing.

5 seconds left.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Kate, who hugged the reactor and cried.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

3 seconds left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

John turned to Kate.

"Humphrey is gone, but at least he died happy. Gone out in a blaze of mass-energy conversion and humour. And saved all our lives too. He was always a humble, funny guy, not a hero, just comedic relief. But for his humility and humour in facing a heroic end, he will forever be remembered as both hero and comedian."

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia:

Death & Legacy

_Main article: Jasper Crisis_

…Humphrey famously died in the Jasper Crisis. He threw himself into the mass-energy convertor, providing enough mass-energy to reactivate the life support systems long enough for technicians to restore permanent power to the life support systems…He is famously remembered for his sense of humour, which followed him even into death.

Personality

…Humphrey was remembered by friends and family as a funny man…This is characterised especially by his death, where he famously joked about 'the light at the end of the tunnel' when he jumped into the mass-energy convertor (see Death & Legacy above) to resolve the Jasper Crisis (referring to the bright yellow conversion field at the bottom of the convertor well).

Wikiquote: Last Words

"Hey guys! I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel!"

_3 years later_

Kate browsed through the bookstore. She randomly took a book of jokes of the shelf and flipped to the first page. She didn't recognise the author's name.

_Dedicated to Humphrey, a true hero who showed humility and wit in the face of death._

Kate smiled warmly as she remembered John's eulogy.

_He will forever be remembered as both hero and comedian._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I Love You

**A/N Getting a little repetitive, no? Well, just stick around a bit more. After this, we'll see how else Humphrey could have saved Jasper…or not.**

**Pay attention to the legacies, especially the '3 years later' parts. They are very different. And the story isn't called 'Legacy' for nothing.**

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing and swung his legs over it.

_My last moments. Better say something meaningful._

_ Dammit, I'm never going to see Kate again._

_ Time to say goodbye._

"I LOVE YOU, KATE!" he yelled, as he was engulfed by the yellow light, and every atom in his body was converted to pure energy.

"NO!" Kate screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

"Humphrey!" John gasped.

"Humphrey!" Garth shouted.

Kate fell to her knees, sobbing.

5 seconds left.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Kate, who hugged the reactor and cried.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

3 seconds left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

John turned to Kate.

"Humphrey was a good man. Even in death he celebrated his marriage to you. Be glad at least that you could some of your life together with him, and cherish the greatest souvenirs of your love: your children."

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia:

Death & Legacy

_Main article: Jasper Crisis_

…Humphrey famously died in the Jasper Crisis. He threw himself into the mass-energy convertor, providing enough mass-energy to reactivate the life support systems long enough for technicians to restore permanent power to the life support systems…He is famously remembered for his love for his wife, Kate.

Personality

…Humphrey was remembered by friends and family as a funny man…He is remembered especially by the public for being a symbol of love, because of the enormous media coverage surrounding the Jasper Crisis, which he famously resolved by throwing himself into the mass-energy convertor while declaring his love for his wife, Kate.

Wikiquote: Last Words

"I LOVE YOU, KATE!"

_3 years later_

Kate, Samantha, Kayla, Dean and their children approached solemnly, bearing flowers. Though Humphrey's body had been utterly annihilated, with not even a heap of ash to show for it, it was nice of John and the rest to build a memorial stone for him.

Kate looked at the headstone. Carved onto it were his last words:

_I love you, Kate._

A smile formed on her face.

"Humphrey, it has been three years since you left us."

"We still remember you. I still remember you. I will never forget you. None of us will."

"Can you see your grandchildren, Humphrey? Can you see the fruit of our love, which was bought with your sacrifice?" she said, tearing up.

"I love you, Humphrey," Kate whispered.

"You did the right thing, Humphrey. I just wish…I just wish I had more time…to spend with you…I love you, Humphrey."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Jasper Is Avenged

**A/N Now we see a darker side to our hero.**

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

Humphrey cursed. He rummaged about for his suit.

_I knew this would come in handy someday._

He slipped in and grabbed a handgun.

_Some bastard is trying to kill us. Kate, John, the kids, everyone. Time to put a bullet between his eyes._

Humphrey marched towards the blast doors nearest to the life support controls.

"Humphrey! What are you-Humphrey! No!" Kate shouted.

"Humphrey!" John, his mentor and superior, cried in alarm.

He opened the blast door

Rays of intense heat shot into the room, melting equipment and instantly incinerating John and Kate.

Humphrey's co-workers panicked and fled, but there was nowhere to flee to. The temperature of the inside of the structure rose rapidly as air was sucked out of it. But Humphrey's engineering genius enabled him to construct a prototype mobile unit resistant to all these conditions.

Humphrey's eyes widened with shock and anger.

"No!" he gasped.

_Time to avenge them!_

He ran out of the complex, as the heat finally melted straight through it and it collapsed.

Every step was like walking through mud. Melted buildings formed heaps of slag, while incinerated plants, animals and people assumed the form of ashes that drifted about in the lack of augmented gravity. The ground melted into lava, and the slag and lava started to mix. Fortunately, the stuff was viscous enough for Humphrey to actually run on.

He saw a still-operational, highly resistant dropship amidst the gooey, melted, superheated rubble. Two men in suits like his were walking towards it.

Humphrey took aim. The suits were designed to resist temperature and repel exotic particles, not force. And of course, there was the all-important breathing tube that connected each man to his air tank.

One carefully calculated shot (and a pile of dumb luck) and the first target was out. Breathing tube torn straight through by the slug.

The other man turned. Humphrey tried to shoot his body, but the bullet was picked up by a pocket of superheated air undergoing convection and bleeding away into space, and flew straight over his head.

The other man was not armed, but he started throwing all manner of razor-sharp tools at him. The two engaged in a strange fire-fight, one hurling tools and the other bullets.

Finally one bullet survived all the way through to the target, striking him in the abdomen. But a stray current boomeranged a tool back, and it sliced through the breathing tubes.

Seeing that he was about to die anyway, Humphrey pulled the release catch on his suit.

"Jasper…is…"

As he pulled off his helmet he yelled, "AVENGED!"

The solar radiation incinerated his flesh.

With disgusting gentleness and grace, the ashes that had once been people, animals and plants floated off the surface of the planet. The slag sank below the lava, displacing it and causing loose globs of lava to drift off into space.

The Jasper Crisis had ended.

Jasper was no more.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

List of those killed in the Jasper Crisis

…

Humphrey, 42, Theoretical Physicist

John, 49, Theoretical Physicist

…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Teamwork

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

"Kate, quick! Get as much matter as you can and dump it into the convertor!" Humphrey said as he rummaged for his things.

He dumped an armful of files into Kate's arms, then scooped up his desktop monitor, CPU, a handgun, some photos and the wastepaper basket, and ran over to the mass-energy convertor.

10 seconds left.

Kate followed suit.

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!" someone shouted.

Humphrey dug out his treasured prototype environment suit.

"Goodbye, old friend," he said, while carrying another armful of junk and the suit to the convertor.

John saw this and started ordering people to throw things in.

"Get anything, everything just throw things into the convertor! Go! Go! Go!"

John took off his lab coat and flung it in.

Humphrey's co-workers scrambled to gather materials.

5 seconds left.

"54 kg of mass-energy!"

"Come on! Nothing is more important than our lives!'

4 seconds left.

"67 kg!"

"Hurry!" Humphrey shouted.

"74 kg! Stop!"

3 seconds left.

"Alright, techies, fire away!" Humphrey ordered.

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

2 seconds…

"Life support systems powering up!"

1…

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

John turned to Humphrey, grinning.

"Humphrey!" he grasped his friend's shoulders.

"You're a hero! You saved us all!"

"No…I…actually, it was a team effort."

"Humphrey!" Kate hugged him.

"I'm so glad we managed to save the planet without anyone dying! That was brilliant!"

"Dying?" Humphrey asked, puzzled.

"Yeah! You know, you, me, Garth and John all weigh 72 kg. When Jake mentioned the 72 kg, I was so afraid one of us would have to die!"

Humphrey bowed his head.

"Never. I would _never _consider that. No one dies on my watch. Especially not you, Kate," he said, turning towards her.

She smiled and they embraced each other.

"I love you, Humphrey."

"I love you, Kate."

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia:

Jasper Crisis

_Main article: Jasper Crisis_

Humphrey famously resolved the Jasper Crisis. He made a snap decision to get his colleagues to throw their equipment into a mass-energy reactor, buying Jasper technicians enough time to permanently reroute power to the life support systems and prevent Jasper from being destroyed. He has become a symbol of leadership and heroism for his role in the Jasper Crisis due to the massive media coverage of the Crisis.

_3 years later_

"Grandma! Grandpa! Where're we going?"

"Oh, to a very special place," Humphrey told his grandson Steven.

Humphrey swiped his ID card and the blast doors opened.

"Humphrey!" John cried, getting up from his desk.

"Grandpa John!"

Some of the other scientists looked up, irritated. A few smiled warmly.

"Everybody, this is Humphrey we've been hearing about. Once upon a time, he was just like us, sitting here at a desk solving partial differential equations. Now, he's made it big selling books on leadership and teamwork, and he's known everywhere as the man who saved Jasper."

The scientists returned to their work.

"A lot of new faces since you were last here. The publicity those saboteurs gave us is unbelievable. They renovated the labs and permanently terraformed Jasper. Of course some people were so traumatised by the crisis they went back to Earth!"

"So I've heard," Humphrey said.

"So, the time has come for the little guy to be told the tale of your heroic deed, eh?"

Humphrey nodded. "But honestly people put too much focus on me. I mean, you're the one who actually got everyone to start dumping."

"But you're the one who gave me the idea of making them start dumping!"

"I suppose the credit can go to neither of us. As cheesy as it sounds, Jasper was really saved by…"

"Teamwork," they both said at the same time.

**A/N This could be considered the 'best' ending, since no-one died. But emotionally speaking, the first few were more touching.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: No Search Results

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

_Code Red._

_Life support is out._

"Humphrey?" she asked again.

_Life support is out._

_We're all going to die._

"Humphrey, can you hear me?"

_We're going to die._

_We're going to die!_

Panic and fear clutched at Humphrey's heart.

"Humphrey! Answer me! Don't scare me like this!" Kate shook her husband.

_Die…_

_We're going to die…_

"Humphrey…" Kate's voice faded as Humphrey fainted in shock.

"Kate!" John shouted, then he saw Humphrey.

"Oh God. Sorry, Kate, but there's nothing we can do now. We can only recover him if we can keep the life-support intact. Help me dump stuff into the convertor! It's the only way to save him!"

She knew John was right. She forced her to turn away from her beloved and run about, gathering material.

"73 kg! Stop!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

John turned to Humphrey. Some of his co-workers, including Lily and Garth, were checking him.

"He's OK," John said to Kate, "Just traumatised. Can't blame him, though. The planet was kind of getting vaporised."

The others left Humphrey's side as Kate looked at him.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

_No search results_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: You're a Hero

**A/N And now our hero really starts walking down a dark path.**

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing.

_ Wait._

_ What the hell am I doing?_

_ I'm going to die!_

_ I-I can't do this, dammit._

_ But I know someone who can._

_ Anyway, payback for almost stealing my wife is long overdue._

"Garth!"

"What?"

"Garth, you can save us! You weigh 72 kg!"

5 seconds left.

"Me? But-"

"No time for 'buts'! You're a hero, Garth. It's time to show the world that. Time to show the world what you're really made of. One last stunt. One last heroic deed. To save us all. To save Kate, myself, John, your kids, Lily…"

"Say no more," Garth stopped him. "It's hero time."

2 seconds left (yeah, Humphrey talks fast).

Garth jumped into the convertor.

"I LOVE YOU, LILY!"

There was a flash of yellow light. Lily screamed.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Lily, who hugged the convertor and screamed and cried.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

1 second left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

Kate wrapped her arms around Humphrey and John turned to comfort Lily.

"Humphrey, I'm so glad you're OK. I was so afraid you were going to die," she whimpered into his chest.

Humphrey looked straight ahead, hearing the hum of the convertor which had killed Garth.

_God, what have I done?_

_ I…I killed Garth!_

_ No you didn't. You just encouraged him to make the sacrifice. He died a hero. He will be remembered._

_ And I will be forgotten._

_ But I know who really saved Jasper._

_ And I know who really killed Garth._

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

_No search results_

_3 years later_

Kate, Lily, and their children walked solemnly, bearing flowers. Though Garth's body had been utterly annihilated, with not even a heap of ash to show for it, it was nice of John and the rest to build a memorial stone for him. Humphrey trailed behind, dreading the thought of facing Garth again, even if it was only his memorial stone.

Lily was sobbing as Kate comforted her. She delivered a touching eulogy, but Humphrey didn't really pay attention. He fixed his eyes on Garth's memorial stone.

_Garth._

_ I killed him._

_ I killed him._

_ I saved Jasper, but I killed him._

Lily, Kate and the kids placed their flowers, and, one by one, they left.

Humphrey remained.

He walked up to the memorial stone, taking guilty, plodding steps. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the room.

He looked at the stone.

No one knew what had happened. Lily was too panicked. Garth was dead. And only Humphrey knew the truth. No one else. Not John. Not even Kate.

"Garth," he said, tremblingly. "I know we started out as…closer to enemies than, well, anything else. But…but I've come to respect you after the Kate incident, as…as…"

He sighed. "Garth, you shouldn't have died. It should have been me instead. But I was too much of a coward to face death, and I was forced to kill you. And for that, I am sorry. I truly am, my…friend."

Humphrey bowed his head and said a quick prayer, then left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Do It For The Kids

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing.

_ Wait._

_ What the hell am I doing?_

_ I'm going to die!_

_ I-I can't do this, dammit._

_But I know someone who can._

"Kate…you weigh 72 kg!"

"Are you saying…"

"We don't have time! The only thing that weighs that much is a person! You have to save us, Kate! If the life support is toast, we're all going to die! Me, you, Lily, Garth…even the kids!"

"The kids…"

"Yes, Kate. Do it. Do it for the kids!"

Kate nodded

2 seconds left.

She grabbed the railing and swung her legs over it.

"Goodbye, Humphrey. I love you."

Kate jumped. There was a flash of yellow light, and she was no more.

"Kate…" Humphrey whispered.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let her sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Humphrey, who stood there muttering like an idiot.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

1 second left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" John shouted.

Humphrey stared out into space, listening to the hum of the convertor which had killed Kate.

_God, what have I done?_

_ I…I killed Kate!_

_ Goddammit, I killed Kate!_

_ I'm a monster._

_ A monster._

_ How could I?_

_ We went through hell together, to _be_ together…and I killed her._

_ I KILLED KATE!_

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

_No search results_

_That night_

The reporters were gone. John had moved Humphrey back to his quarters, and he had fallen asleep.

The door to the lab opened.

In a zombielike fashion, Humphrey drifted into the room, obviously insane, muttering, over and over again, "I killed Kate."

Robotically, he powered up the mass-energy convertor.

It bathed the room with eerie, almost demonic, yellow light.

Humphrey shambled towards it.

He gripped the railing.

But before he could throw himself over the ledge, a hand grasped his arm firmly.

"Humphrey!" John barked.

Humphrey blinked and attempted to kill himself again.

John pulled him back.

"Humphrey!" he slapped him.

"Snap out of it!"

Humphrey blinked. "John…"

"What are you doing here?" he asked John.

"Getting a file. But that's not important. What the hell? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I…I killed Kate!" he screamed in anguish, tears streaming down his face.

John slapped him again.

"No. You didn't. She killed herself. She sacrificed herself to save all of us."

"But only because I told her to! I should have been the one to die!"

"What did you say?"

"I said she killed herself because I told her to!"

"No, what did you tell her?"

"I told her…I told her to do it for the kids."

"For the kids," John repeated.

"She's done it. She killed herself to save them. Will you disrespect her final wish by killing yourself too? Who will take care of the kids? What will they think? How will they remember you? 'Oh, Mum was great, she gave her life to save Jasper, but Dad was a coward who snapped and killed himself'!"

Humphrey calmed down.

"Kate died for her children, Humphrey. Time for you to live for them."

John patted his shoulder and walked out, leaving Humphrey staring into space.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Dignum Et Justum Est

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lilly close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you—"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing.

_ Wait._

_ What the hell am I doing?_

_ I'm going to die!_

_ I-I can't do this, dammit._

_But I know someone who can._

"John!"

"What?"

"You weigh 72 kg!"

John began running towards him.

"What was that Latin phrase you liked to use so much? _Dignum et justum est_?"

John pushed past him.

"Don't need to tell me twice."

He grabbed the railing and swung his legs over.

2 seconds left.

"Oh, and…"

Humphrey turned to meet his gaze.

"Tell Sophie I love her, brother."

Humphrey blinked. John had never called him 'brother' before, but they acted like they were.

"_Ut vivant, Patrem._"

There was a flash of yellow light as Jake gasped, "Father!"

He quickly recovered his composure and took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers. Except for Humphrey, who stared out into space.

"Brother…"

Kate turned back. "Humphrey?"

"Energy yield OK!" a physicist shouted.

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

1 second left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

"Technicians! Move out!" Jake shouted.

"Humphrey? What's wrong?" Kate asked.

Humphrey looked straight ahead, listening to the hum of the convertor which had killed John.

_God, what have I done?_

_ I…I killed John!_

_ I killed my brother._

_ The brother I never had._

_ The brother I always wanted._

Humphrey teared up.

"Kate…guys…I…I killed John!" Humphrey cried in anguish.

He collapsed on Kate's shoulder and cried into it.

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Yahoo! News

"…John's friend and co-worker, Humphrey, was recorded cryptically declaring that he 'killed John', though the police do not suspect foul play but rather believe this outburst to be the result of emotional breakdown as John and Humphrey were close friends…"

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

_No search results_

_Later_

Kate brought Humphrey out of the lab and back to their quarters. He was still crying.

"Humphrey, what's wrong?"

"I killed John!"

"No you didn't. He sacrificed himself."

"Only because I persuaded him to! Kate, I should have been the one to die! I was going to sacrifice myself, but I was too much of a coward! So I got John to kill himself instead!"

"How?"

"I…I told him it would be right and just for him to give up his life! I'm a coward, Kate. I don't deserve your love. I killed my friend, the big brother I never had!"

"Humphrey…"

"I KILLED HIM! I'M A MURDERER!"

Kate grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Humphrey, get a grip on yourself! No-one killed anyone! John gave himself up willingly. All he needed was a bit of prompting. You didn't force him."

"But…I…I killed him!"

"No you didn't! He would have done so anyway. All he needed was a little prompting, and by prompting him, you saved us all."

"But…he's dead…I should have died in his place!"

"No. How do you think I would be able to continue on if you were killed? What about the kids?"

They gazed into each other's eyes.

"John died a hero, as was his way. I'm just glad you're alive."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: He Tripped

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing.

_ Wait._

_ What the hell am I doing?_

_ I'm going to die!_

_ I-I can't do this, dammit._

A technician ran past Humphrey, screaming in fear.

Humphrey would not know what demonic compulsion overcame him, but he would always remember the result.

Humphrey grabbed the technician's head, knocked his legs from under him and tipped him, screaming, into the mass-energy convertor.

Kate gasped in shock. She had not seen everything but, saw enough to realise that Humphrey caused the technician's death

4 seconds left.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

3 seconds left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

Kate confronted Humphrey.

"Humphrey! What did you do!"

John stepped in.

"What happened?"

"The technician…he didn't kill himself. I saw it. The only person who could have done anything was Humphrey."

Humphrey considered his next move.

_If I tell the truth, I am going to be in a lot of crap._

Humphrey looked at his mentor and his wife.

"I'm sorry, I…I tripped him over."

"It was an accident," he said hastily, before either could say anything.

John nodded. "I believe you, Humphrey. You're a good man. This time, your accident saved us. Just be more careful around mass-energy convertors next time, especially if there isn't a crisis going on."

Kate looked at Humphrey.

"S…sorry Humphrey. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known better. I should have remembered the noble wolf I married."

_Stop it, goddammit! You're only making it worse!_

_Dammit, I…I killed someone! His blood is on my hands!_

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Yahoo! News

"…A technician, Peter Williams…Humphrey tripped Williams over, sending him into the convertor and saving the planet…"

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

_That night_

Humphrey downed his twelfth glass.

_I can't believe it._

_ I killed a man and lied about it._

_ This…this is against everything John taught me, against everything Kate respected in me…_

_ God, what can I do to…to just forget it all…_

"Humphrey!"

A familiar, beautiful female voice interrupted his drunken contemplation.

"K-Kate?"

"Humphrey! Oh God, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

He met her concerned gaze.

_This ends now. I don't care if Kate leaves me, if John hates me…I'll finally be at peace with myself._

She tried to wrap her arms around him, but Humphrey pushed her away.

"Humphrey, what's wrong? What are you doing here? If it's about the accident today, it's not your fault."

"Yes…the accident…Kate, I need to tell you something, and I need you to tell John. Hell, tell everyone about it."

"What is it, Humphrey? I love you. You can tell me anything."

"I…"

When Humphrey had told her everything, he left. No-one ever saw him again. All he left behind was Kate, with angry tears streaming down her face.

"You monster!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: I Did What I Had To Do

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

Humphrey quickly scribbled down the answer to what he was working on.

"Kate!"

"Humphrey! What's going on? What are we going to do?"

Humphrey looked around. His co-workers were in a panic. Garth was hugging Lily close to him as she cried uncontrollably.

His mentor and superior, John was giving orders to control the situation.

No one seemed to be listening.

"Kate. I calculated it. We only have fifteen seconds before all of Jasper is destroyed!"

Before Kate could reply, they heard something.

"Father!" It was Jake, John's son.

"…of 6.4710 x 10^18 joules to buy enough time…technicians…repair…restart the life support system."

"In kg?"

"72."

"Power up the mass-energy converter!"

_72._

The exact mass of Humphrey. And the exact mass of Kate. And Garth. And John.

_My mass._

An impending feeling of dread overcame Humphrey.

10 seconds left.

"Sir! We've been isolated! We can't open the doors or we'll be killed!"

9 seconds.

There wasn't enough time to do anything else.

Humphrey ran forward as a yellow flash of light showed the mass-energy converter had been activated.

He pushed Kate aside.

"Humphrey, what are you-"

She gasped. "Humphrey! No!"

"Technicians are on standby for the system to be reactivated!"

_Good._

Humphrey grabbed the railing.

_ Wait._

_ What the hell am I doing?_

_ I'm going to die!_

_ I-I can't do this, dammit._

A technician ran past Humphrey, screaming in fear.

Humphrey would not know what demonic compulsion overcame him, but he would always remember the result.

Humphrey grabbed the technician's head, knocked his legs from under him and tipped him, screaming, into the mass-energy convertor.

Kate gasped in shock. She had not seen everything but, saw enough to realise that Humphrey caused the technician's death

4 seconds left.

John quickly took control.

"We cannot let his sacrifice be in vain! Monitor the circuits!"

The physicists forced themselves to their computers.

"Energy yield OK!"

"Mass-energy impulse has reached redistribution nodes. Redistribution OK!"

3 seconds left.

"Life support systems powering up!"

"Life support systems online!"

Kate confronted Humphrey.

"Humphrey! What did you do!"

John stepped in.

"What happened?"

"The technician…he didn't kill himself. I saw it. The only person who could have done anything was Humphrey."

Humphrey glared at Kate, giving her the 'whose side are you on' look.

"I did what I had to do, okay?" he shouted.

Kate and John gasped.

"You…"

"Yes, I pushed Peter into convertor! Happy now? I saved all of your asses," Humphrey snarled.

"But you killed a man!"

"I saved you guys. _Everyone_ was going to die. By killing one man, I stopped everyone else from dying! Dammit, how thick can you guys get?"

Kate glared at Humphrey, angry tears streaming down a face.

"YOU MONSTER!" she screamed, slapping him.

"Humphrey, you betrayed everything I ever taught you!" John barked.

The rest of the lab watched the drama.

Humphrey's faced was contorted into a mask of pure rage.

He slapped Kate. Hard.

She looked angrily into his eyes.

"We. Are. Finished."

With that, she stormed out of the lab.

"Humphrey, you had noble intentions. But you killed a man, and that cannot be forgiven. We will not tell the press you killed Williams. But you are fired. Get out of this lab."

Humphrey stood, unflinching.

"GET OUT!" John roared, in an infrequent display of anger.

"I don't want to see you ever again," John hissed, as Humphrey left the room

"Sir! Permanent power has been restored!"

The Jasper Crisis was over.

**Legacy**

Yahoo! News

"…A technician, Peter Williams…Humphrey tripped Williams over, sending him into the convertor and saving the planet…"

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

_The next day_

John arrived for work, still deeply troubled by the previous day's incident.

But when he opened the door, he realised that the mass-energy convertor was still active.

_Oh no._

He hastily flipped on the lights and ran to the control panel.

_Oh God, no._

He read through the data.

_No!_

Stored inside the mass-energy convertor was 6.4710 x 10^18 joules of mass-energy.

72 kg.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Casualty List

**A/N 'One death is a tragedy. A million is a statistic.' ~Josef Stalin**

Klaxons blared and alarm lights flashed.

"Warning. Code Red. Life support systems have failed. Warning. Code Red…"

"Humphrey!" Kate ran towards her husband.

_Code Red._

_Life support is out._

"Humphrey?" she asked again.

_Life support is out._

_We're all going to die._

"Humphrey, can you hear me?"

_We're going to die._

_We're going to die!_

Panic and fear clutched at Humphrey's heart.

"Humphrey! Answer me! Don't scare me like this!" Kate shook her husband.

_Die…_

_We're going to die…_

"Humphrey…" Kate's voice faded as Humphrey fainted in shock.

"Kate!" John shouted, then he saw Humphrey.

"Oh God."

He bent down to check.

"He's OK," John said, after a few seconds.

But before anyone could do anything else, waves of heat washed over them.

John felt sick to the core as the smell of metal filled his nostrils.

_Oh crap._

The structure collapsed on them, reducing anyone inside to ash and turning into molten slag.

All over the planet, buildings and ground melted and mixed together. Clods of lava thrown up by collapsing structures drifted off the planet's surface, together with ashes that had once been plants, animals and people, in the lack of artificial gravity.

The Jasper Crisis had ended.

Jasper was no more.

**Legacy**

Wikipedia

_No search results_

Wikiquote

_No search results_

Google

List of those killed in the Jasper Crisis

…

Humphrey, 42, Theoretical Physicist

John, 49, Theoretical Physicist

…

**A/N Well, that's it! I'm out. Technically this vignette depended on John's actions instead of Humphrey's, but that's not important. This is, to me, the worst ending. Remembered merely as a statistic, and dying unfulfilled.**

** I had a couple of other ideas, like Humphrey physically killing Garth and Humphrey telling Kate to watch the kids as he jumped, but that would make it a bit too repetitive.**

** OK, the best adjective for this would be 'experimental'. Truth to be told, this would be better as a multiple-choice text game, visual novel, or flash game (all of which I could make myself), but I just wanted to publish this here, particularly because I could play about with the relational dynamics already established in my other fics.**


End file.
